Alaya on her literary idol

Alaya F, the cover star of Cosmopolitan India’s March 2025 issue, offers a captivating look into her personal world, sharing the stories and inspirations that define her off-screen persona. In a recent interview, Alaya opened up about her current reading and deep admiration for literary icon Maya Angelou. She’s currently immersed in the seventh book of Angelou’s autobiography series, a connection that runs deep for Alaya, who first encountered Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” in school.

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The poem left such an impact on her that she had the words tattooed on her back, with wings—a poignant reflection of how literature profoundly shapes her.